Page 58 - Bonhams Presencer Buddhist Art Collection Oct. 2 2018

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A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF PADMASAMBHAVA The bronze’s distinctive lotus base with three-lobed petals is
BHUTAN, CIRCA 18TH CENTURY characteristic of Bhutanese Buddhist sculpture. Compare with two
With cold gold and polychromy to the face and hair. previous examples sold at Bonhams, 13 September 2011, lot 1057
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61653 and Christie’s, New York, 13 September 2011, lot 382. Prominently
17.5 cm (7 in.) high revered in Bhutan, Padmasambhava is said to have visited three
times, and that his body, feet, and hands are embedded in the rocks
HK$80,000 - 120,000 of sacred sites around the kingdom.

Provenance
不丹 約十八世紀 蓮花生銅坐像 Habibi Gallery, London, 2017

Padmasambhava is the tantric mahasiddha par excellence; as a
perfected bodhisattva, he is able to take on various manifestations.
Padmasambhava is credited with founding Buddhism in Tibet in 8th
century, after quelling preventative forces through tantric means.
As the root guru of the Nyginma School of Tibetan Buddhism, its
followers believe Padmasambhava left behind ‘treasure teachings’
(terma) throughout the Tibetan landscape to be discovered when the
world is ready for them.

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